Civil War
by Mars Investigations
Summary: Rewrite of "Fury". Kes is back, but she's not who she used to be...and she needs Voyager's help to diffuse a violent, psionic war on her homeworld.
1. The Prodigal Daughter

**Star Trek: Voyager  
****Civil War**

_Summary: _A rewrite of "Fury". Kes returns to _Voyager_ with a plea for help rather than a thirst for vengeance, and propels the ship to a familiar location that threatens to be destroyed by a dangerous new conflict...

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**Chapter One: The Prodigal Daughter**

Neelix was pottering aimlessly about the Mess Hall when he received the order to report to the Bridge. The morning rush had come to an unusually swift conclusion, the officers filing back to their respective posts with an enthusiasm that he had not witnessed for quite a while, and so he had chosen to begin preparation for lunchtime arrangements early before paying a visit to Naomi Wildman. He felt as though his duties had robbed her of him for the past week or so, and he enjoyed spending time with the youngster. And so, as he gathered a generous portion of leola root and settled into a silent reverie, he was understandably startled by the chirping of his combadge. Upon the summoning, he had hurriedly finished his task and rushed to the turbolift.

The doors parted and the small Talaxian stepped inside. There was only one other occupant, a human in the mustard colour of the security division, and Neelix greeted him with a warm smile. "Mister Ayala! How are you today?"

Ayala returned the grin, turning his gaze away from the PADD he clutched in his hand. "I'm fine, thanks to your breakfast feast this morning," he quipped, gently gripping the other's shoulder. "The omelette was fantastic."

Neelix spoke his destination aloud and the turbolift whizzed upwards. "It _was_ one of my heartier meals, wasn't it?" he chuckled. "I take it you're heading up for a duty shift?"

"No, just giving my security report to Commander Tuvok." Ayala winced a little. "It's a little late…and you know what a stickler he is for punctuality."

Neelix slapped his companion on the back as the turbolift slowed to a halt. "Don't worry, my friend! Deep down, Tuvok is just as cuddly as me – although I don't think he's as good a cook." He winked and chuckled, bidding the officer a farewell before moving onto the Bridge and propping himself up against the railing of the upper level. To his surprise, only one of the command chairs was filled. "Commander?"

Chakotay, intently examining a screen, glanced at Neelix. "In the ready room, Neelix," he intoned softly.

It was at that moment that Neelix noted the tension that had enveloped the Bridge. Everyone seemed to be training their eyes away from him, and even Chakotay appeared reluctant to look at him any longer than necessary. "What's the matter? Have I got a bug in my whiskers?" Neelix joked, but it elicited no laughter from the crewmembers around him.

"Ready room," Chakotay repeated, his tone firm but consciously veered away from sternness. "Now."

Neelix nodded, feeling apprehension building in his muscles. He strode towards his destination, his feet sounding oddly loud as they plodded against the deck. Had he done something wrong? No, the first officer's tone had been too gentle for a reprimand to be awaiting him. And it certainly wasn't a routine visit…He entered the ready room, his shoulders taught and his brow furrowed, but he managed to keep any sign of anxiety out of his voice as he said, "Captain. You wanted to see me?"

Captain Kathryn Janeway was poised at the viewport, staring out into the myriad of stars that coated the velvet void of space. She did not respond immediately to his presence, allowing a few moments to pass before she turned and revealed her grim expression. "Neelix. I thought you should know about this before I call a staff briefing," she told him solemnly.

"Tell me what?"

Janeway beckoned for him to walk to her desk, and she did the same, leaning against it and turning the computer screen for him to see. Despite her casual posture, she seemed to be emitting a concern that sent shivers spiking through Neelix's spine. If something was rattling the nerves of the steely Starfleet Captain, then it was something to be reckoned with. Her fingers chopped down on the keys, bringing the machine to life. An image filled the screen, and Neelix recognised it as a detailed map of the sector that _Voyager _was currently occupying. But the Intrepid-class starship was at the very edge of the screen, and a yellow blip was drawing all attention to itself with a pulsing resonation. It was classified as a small shuttlecraft, travelling at warp four…and bearing itself with a Starfleet signature.

"Oh, my…" Neelix murmured in muted amazement; his contained excitement quickly made its way through. "How did _that _end up out here? Could your friends in the Federation have found a way to get you home?"

Janeway was not infected by his enthusiasm. "Look closer, Neelix."

He complied, and his jaw fell even further. "It's registered as belonging to _Voyager_?" His bemusement soared for a moment, until it hit him. The gravity of Janeway's voice, the awkward elusiveness of those on the Bridge, the blinking bogey on the Captain's screen…He swallowed hard, and felt unbidden tears begin to well. "Is it…?"

"We believe so," Janeway informed him, closing her fingers around his own and squeezing reassuringly. "We picked it up on long-range scanners half an hour ago. I wanted to be sure before speaking with you. At its present speed, it will rendezvous with us in three hours."

Neelix felt his knees tremble in a blend of anticipation and fear. His throat became dry and hoarse, he clutched at the air with his fingers, and he had sudden urges to both leap with joy and crumple into tears. "I…we…how should I be responding to this?"

"No one expects you to be feeling any one emotion, Neelix," Janeway said. "This is going to be hard for all of us. I can only imagine what you must be experiencing now, so you're excused from duty until further notice."

Neelix shook his head resolutely. "No, Captain, I want to –"

"That's an order. Besides," she said, smirking ever so slightly, "if this really is what we think it is, she's going to need someone to meet her at that transporter pad."

Before Neelix could reply, Chakotay's voice sharply interjected over the communications system: _"Captain to the Bridge!"_

Janeway stalked away from the desk, striding confidently into the vessel's epicentre and assuming her chair. Her commanding aura consumed the deck, bolstering her subordinates against whatever they were about to face. Neelix perched on the ledge beside her, worriedly fidgeting as he noted the familiar sirens that signalled a red alert. He distracted himself from the flood of emotions that were making his heart pound by directing his focus to the forward viewscreen.

"Report," Janeway barked.

Lieutenant Commander Tuvok took the initiative to answer this, his stoically calm inflection booming out from the tactical station. "The shuttle has increased speed exponentially. It is currently at warp five…six…nine…" He quirked an eyebrow. "Its speed is exceeding our sensor parameters."

"I guess we have no doubt about who's piloting it now," Ensign Thomas Paris piped in from the helm. "But if she doesn't slow down soon, she's going to blast right through our hull!"

Janeway shared a significant look with Chakotay, both of them tightly gripping the armrests of their chairs. Soundlessly, they were exchanging their fears – but Neelix had no further time available to interpret the unconventional conversation as Janeway ordered, "Shields!"

"Raised," Tuvok reported.

"The shuttle is within sensor range, Captain!" Ensign Harry Kim called. "I'm reading one life sign."

The entire Bridge staff froze.

"It's Ocampan," Kim stated, his eyes wide. "And the bio-signature…it's her."

Janeway released a breath she didn't know she had been holding and snapped to her feet. Her cheeks had reddened, as though the reality of the situation had literally pelted her in a harsh awakening slap. "It's her."

"The shuttle is slowing." Tuvok studied his console. "It has stopped. We are being hailed."

"Answer it!" Neelix blurted out, launching himself to his feet. Immediately realising his blunder in etiquette and breach of the chain of command, he brought his hand to his mouth. "Sorry, Captain."

But Janeway merely smiled at him, and nodded. A familiar face appeared on the screen, if somewhat wearied and weathered by age. Her forehead was pitted with congealed blood and her neck was bruised, implying that she had recently been involved in violence of some kind; the lush blonde hair that had once framed her face had now been replaced by darker, short-cropped locks that were laced with silvery streaks. Her dry lips curled upwards into a weak smile.

"Kes," Janeway breathed. "It's good to see you again."

"And you, Captain. Although I wish it were under better circumstances," the aged Ocampan said.

Neelix was shocked by her raspy voice, and he realised that he had been foolishly expecting the sweetly innocent intonations of his old lover. He couldn't bring himself to converse with the stranger whose visage was laid out before him. He couldn't bring himself to converse with the shadow of the woman he had once loved. Without another thought, he darted away, seeking hasty refuge in the ready room. Chakotay discreetly rose and followed, but Kes did not seem to notice any of the proceedings.

"Are you okay?" Janeway questioned, perturbed by Kes' physical wounds and eerie silence.

Kes ignored the enquiry. "Captain, I need your help. I need _Voyager_'s help."

"We'll help you in any way we can," Janeway stated. "Would you like to come aboard?"

Kes seemed to harden. "There's no time for that." Her eyes blazed with an ethereal fury, and _Voyager_ began to quake.

Janeway was thrown off balance and slumped back into her chair, her eyes darting to and fro as her staff began to urgently work at their consoles for answers. However, none were forthcoming. "Kes, what's happening?!" she demanded.

"I'm sorry," Kes repeated, and then Janeway was pinned back into her chair as _Voyager_ was encased in an azure glow and pelted across the galaxy with unspeakable force. The passage was amazingly quick, but rough – Janeway was tossed unceremoniously to the deck and she felt Paris hit the floor beside her. The next second, the impromptu journey had stopped. Janeway tasted blood in her mouth, and forced herself dazedly to her feet. Kes was no longer on the viewscreen, having been replaced by the image of her shuttle gliding towards a strangely familiar, brown-hued globe.

"Report," the captain said, wedging her slim frame into the command chair. She had a sickening feeling, however, that she already knew what was going to be said.

"That planet, ma'am, it's Ocampa," Kim stuttered incredulously. "We're…"

As Kim lapsed into silence, Tuvok completed his sentence: "It would appear that we are back at where our journey started."

Janeway felt a weight crash down upon her shoulders, and she visibly winced at the declaration. "What has she done…?"

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	2. Back Where We Started

Thanks for your reviews! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

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**Chapter Two: Back Where We Started**

Despite the urgency of the situation, Seven of Nine's expression was calm and serene as she strode onto the Bridge and manned the console positioned behind the command chairs. The crew was battered, their eyes transfixed on the planet Ocampa; the former Borg drone allowed them an exact measurement of thirty seconds to work through their conflicting memories and emotions before interrupting the all-pervading silence with a terse, "Captain."

Janeway, sunk back into her chair, looked as though she were on the verge of despair, but shook herself free of the oppressive feeling and rose unsteadily to her feet. "Go ahead, Seven."

"I have performed a scan from the Astrometrics Lab and matched my findings to the maps you plotted and stored in the database upon your arrival in the Delta Quadrant," Seven said matter-of-factly. "Ocampa has changed significantly from your last visit. Vegetation and lakes have formed across the northern hemisphere, and no Kazon lifeforms have been detected."

"We'll discuss the climate here later," Janeway snapped. "Mister Kim!"

"Yes ma'am?" Kim answered shakily.

_If this isn't crunch time, I don't know what is_, Janeway thought wryly, recalling distant thoughts of her first conversation with the fresh-faced young ensign. "Hail Kes' shuttle."

Chakotay and Neelix chose that time to stumble back onto the Bridge, both of them disoriented and evidently bemused. Their gazes strayed to the familiar sphere on the viewscreen, and the Talaxian froze in disbelief. Chakotay managed to drive himself forward to his captain's side, and a single glance told him everything he needed to know. For humans, Seven supposed, they were efficient communicators. Not quite as efficient as the Borg Collective, of course, but admirably so for their limited intellect.

" No reply," Kim reported. "And the shuttle's moving toward Ocampa."

Tuvok acted before Janeway could give the order, and a blazing orange haze stuck out from _Voyager _to ensnare the smaller ship. "Tractor beam established."

Janeway nodded approvingly. "Beam her into the brig. Level Ten forcefield." She felt rather juvenile, attempting to utilise simple forcefields against a being that had just hurled her entire crew back to the beginning of their six-year journey in a matter of seconds…but it was all she had, no matter how inadequate it was.

"The brig?" Neelix muttered. "Why can't we just…talk to her?"

Janeway regarded him with an almost pitying stare that she quickly tempered by pursing her lips. "Somehow, I don't think this is the same Kes we knew. A warm welcome won't suffice. Tuvok, Chakotay, Paris, you're with me." Each of them was a tactical choice – Tuvok provided an element of security and, if necessary, a telepathic buffer; Chakotay was always a calming influence; Paris had been close to Kes, but had never been as emotionally involved as Neelix had. If Kes was distressed, then she needed to be surrounded by familiar faces.

"Captain, can't I see her?" Neelix pleaded. "Why should Tom go, and not me?"

"You can see her later, Neelix. Right now," Janeway said, "I think it would be best if you're not present. You're too close to this."

"I don't need to be babied." Neelix balled his hands into tight fists. "I can handle this."

"And I have no doubt of that. But this discussion is _over_." She entered the turbolift, where the three officers had already gathered. As the doors slid shut, she called – almost as an afterthought – "Mister Kim, you have the Bridge."

* * *

Tuvok was momentarily stunned by Kes' haggard appearance, but his atypical void Vulcan expression remained unchanged. Keeping one hand firmly clutched on the holstered phaser at his side, he fell back and allowed the uniformed trio at his back to take point. Janeway paused before the field, with Chakotay and Paris flanking her on either side. No trace of joy was present in any of their movements or manners, but Tuvok – for once – felt oddly discomforted by the lack of emotion in the room. His gaze narrowed slightly, and he mentally prepared himself for whatever was to come.

"Captain Janeway," Kes greeted calmly, emanating a tranquillity that was desperately out of place. She stood away from the bunk, her faded brown robes gathered around her frail figure. "Commander, Tom. Hello again."

"Why have you brought us here?" Janeway growled. Her tone softened significantly as she added, "Don't make this reunion a battle, Kes."

"I won't. Because you wouldn't stand a chance against me." The Ocampan took no malicious pleasure from the statement; she was dispassionately stating the truth. Even her formerly expressive emerald eyes were devoid of any real sentiment. As if to prove her veracity, she reached out and pressed her palm against the forcefield. There was an angry buzz and a pulse of light for a moment until it collapsed, sending sparks cascading down from the generators.

Instinctively, Tuvok snapped his phaser upwards and kept the barrel trained on Kes' torso. He struggled to keep it still, though, as he felt raw psionic power unfurl across the room. "Kes. Please remain still."

"Oh, Tuvok!" she shot back, almost endearingly. "I'm above phasers and forcefields and meditation now! Can't you _feel _that?"

"You may be above those things, but we're not," Chakotay said. "If you need our help, you're going to have to come down to our level and talk to us rather than toy with us."

Kes was taken aback. "Toying with you?"

"You threw us back to the beginning of our journey," Janeway reminded her. "What are we supposed to think?"

"Tell us what you need, Kes." Paris was reluctant to move forward, but did so anyway, gathering her hands into his own. He smiled gently, but Kes withdrew sharply, as if repulsed by the physical contact. The helmsman seemed disappointed, and hesitantly stepped back. "What's wrong?"

"I…I…" Kes stuttered. "My powers are still a little…temperamental from the strain of bringing you to Ocampa. Your touch, it made me feel your mind." She paused, her cheeks flushed with scarlet. "You and B'Elanna?"

"Kes! I demand to know what's going on!" Janeway bellowed, fury ripe in her inflection.

Kes simply nodded at the outburst. "Of course, Captain. Allow me to explain…after I left _Voyager_, I travelled back here to Ocampa. But I found my people far different than I had left them. Without the Caretaker's supervision, their telepathic abilities had fully manifested and they made their way to the surface." She swallowed. "The Kazon killed hundreds before the Ocampans used their mental powers to drive them off the planet."

"What about the vegetation and water? That wasn't there when we first came," Chakotay pointed out.

"My people stimulated plant growth and worked together to create this paradise environment for themselves." Kes had taken on a faraway look, as though reliving fond memories. "It was perfect."

"Was?" Janeway probed.

"The Kazon began bombarding the planet, spoiling everything we had worked to perfect. One group of Ocampans took it upon themselves to defend us, and destroyed one of the vessels…from the surface. It was something of a wake-up call as to how powerful we were becoming. Yet the Kazon continued."

"You defeated the Kazon before, and obviously have the power to do so again," Tuvok observed. "Why is Voyager needed here?"

Kes' lips thinned as she pressed them together in muted concentration. "You're right, we can handle the Kazon. But we can't handle ourselves. Let me show you…"

* * *

In the command chair of _Voyager_'s Bridge, Harry Kim stewed. As the staff he temporarily controlled went about the business of relocating Kes' vehicle to the shuttle bay, he occupied himself with thoughts of repeating their journey, of the reason and nature of Kes' return, of the conspicuous changes to the planet Ocampa. It was all too much, an overload of information and events that was sending his mind racing through possibilities – and, no doubt, the news would have already filtered down through the ship. It wouldn't be long before rumours began to sprout, and an official announcement would be necessary within the next few hours –

"Ensign, I believe we have a problem."

Kim span to face Seven, who was working at his station. "What is it?"

"Captain Janeway, Commander Chakotay, Commander Tuvok, and Ensign Paris have vacated the ship." The Borg-human hybrid glanced up from the console. "Kes has disappeared along with them."

"We have a more pressing concern," Ayala chimed in from the tactical station.

Kim's mouth went dry. The entire situation seemed to be disintegrating into unbridled chaos! "What now?"

Ayala looked grim as he punched in a series of commands. "I think you should see for yourself."

The viewscreen flickered to life to reveal…a small battalion of Kazon warships, seven in number, all of them hurtling towards _Voyager_. And all of them looking extremely dangerous.

Kim felt his heart pound ever faster, and he cursed under his breath. It looked like he was going to be filling the Captain's seat for a little while more, at least. Which meant that he would be responsible for the lives of everyone aboard throughout a firefight with their old, vicious enemy. Steeling himself against the inevitable, he sunk his teeth into his lower lip and resisted the urge to sigh. "Red Alert," he said. "All hands: battle stations!"


	3. Blitzkrieg

**Chapter Three: Blitzkrieg**

Ensign Kim's pulse raced as he hurriedly assessed the situation, barely managing to sustain a calm façade as he did so. Captain Janeway, Tuvok, Paris, and Chakotay had all been snatched from the ship – a mystery that he was sure had come about at the whim of their missing visitor, Kes, but also one that he did not have time to contemplate. Seven Kazon vessels were approaching, all locking their weaponry on _Voyager_, and he had to somehow negotiate a resolution without sacrificing the safety of the crew. This would be difficult enough, he knew, with a battle-hardened selection of Starfleet's finest officers…but he had only and a small cabal of inexperienced substitutes surrounding him on the Bridge.

Lieutenant Ayala was at the tactical station, and although an able security officer, he had never served in such a hazardous ship-to-ship combat arrangement. Manning the helm was McKenzie Brooks, a command-division ensign that was pleasant enough and efficient about her work, but in the area of piloting, she was nothing more than adequate. Fortunately, he had two crewwomen that bolstered his hopes somewhat: Seven of Nine was maintaining a vigil at his very own post, and Ensign Samantha Wildman was working furiously at her usual science station. Meanwhile, Neelix had seen it fit to assume Commander Chakotay's seat.

Everybody was understandably and undeniably tense.

But Kim was damned if he were to let that stop him. "How long until we're in weapons range?"

"Three minutes," Ayala said. "But there are seven of them. We can't handle that kind of firepower."

"I _know_ that." Kim immediately realised that his words had emerged more scathing than he had intended, but bit back an apology. Such trivial matters could wait until after the volatile situation that had ensnared them had been dealt with. "Seven, any luck finding the Captain and the others?"

"Yes. Their lifesigns are clear on the planet, along with Kes."

"Tell me we can get in transporter range before the Kazon hit us," Kim half-pleaded.

Seven shook her head. "That will not be possible, Ensign. I would suggest that we set aside that particular goal until the Kazon attack has reached its conclusion. I am routing an evasive flight plan through to Ensign Brooks' console as well as your own; I believe it is the most efficient course to take."

Kim examined it quickly and, finding no glaring flaw, ordered Brooks to adhere to it before returning his attention to Seven. "Any Borg tactical data we can use?"

"The Kazon, Species 329," she recited in response. "The Collective judged them unworthy of assimilation due to their unremarkable and obstructive biological distinctiveness. Any of this kind encountered is simply ignored or destroyed, so as not to detract from perfection."

"No wonder they're so angry," Wildman said wryly. "Even the Borg rejected them."

"_Ensign_!" Brooks barked frantically. "Three more Kazon ships approaching from ahead of us! I'm trying to compensate and adjust the flight plan, but my best guess is that we've only got another thirty seconds before we're hit!"

As if on cue, the first barrage of torpedoes and disruptors ripped into Voyager's shields. The ship juddered and convulsed, and the inertial dampeners audibly whined as they struggled to keep everything in its place. Kim's knuckles whitened with pressure as he gripped the armrests on his chair, and waited for the vibrations to subside. To the Bridge crew's credit, there were no shrieks or cries as he mimicked their leader, hugging their consoles and riding out the proverbial storm.

"Shields are stable at eighty-nine percent," Ayala called.

Kim shook off his nausea and allowed his command mindset to assert itself. "Miss Brooks, initiate evasive pattern gamma-three. Mister Ayala, fire at will!"

_Voyager_ plummeted into the fray, arcs of energy lancing outwards and striking the enemy vessels. The Kazon shields crackled and glimmered as the attacks implemented, but the Intrepid-class ship was not satisfied with that; it followed up on this initial assault, ejecting an array of photon torpedoes into the bulk of one the Kazon transports…which, in turn, belched fire and keeled away from its attack pattern. At Brooks' instructions, Voyager accelerated and cut a swathe through the remaining pair of perpetrators before them, lashing out with phasers as it sped past them.

"One vessel has been destroyed," Seven said dutifully. "Another is incapacitated, but the third is joining the main seven. Further engagement is tactically unsound and inadvisable."

"It's also unavoidable," Wildman cut in. "But I've got an idea that might even the odds a little."

"Explain," Seven stated in her usual taciturn manner before Kim could make the request.

"We have some refuse plasma that was scrubbed off the manifolds a few weeks back. It was meant to be dumped at the next available opportunity, but I think it could be used here to knock out one of our pursuers," Wildman elaborated. "There's three canisters of the stuff in cargo bay one that could be released into space directly in the path of one of the warships."

Kim's brow furrowed. "What would that accomplish?"

"We'd better hurry this up!" Ayala interrupted. "The remaining eight will be within weapons range in two minutes!"

Wildman nodded briskly in acknowledgement of the warning. "The canisters will split as the Kazon ship hits it, and their deflector shields will become coated in plasma. One correctly-tuned phaser beam will ignite that plasma, frying their shields and leaving them open to attack."

"Good thinking!" Kim applauded. "Let's do it. Ayala, link to Samantha's console and get that phaser frequency right. Seven, the moment we're within weapons range, I want those canisters transported into space, right in front of the lead warship. There's no room for error."

Seven regarded him as though he had just suggested a short break for a round of Velocity. "That is fortunate, for I do not make errors," she told him, before resuming her work at the console.

Kim turned to see Neelix in the commander's seat; he had forgotten that the Talaxian was even present. "Neelix?" he beckoned tersely. "I need you to get down to cargo bay one as quickly as possible and attach transporter tags to each of the plasma canisters." At Seven's withering glare, he hastily added, "Just to be on the safe side." The ensign settled back into his chair as Neelix rushed to the turbolift, and tried to work the tension out of his muscles. It was unsuccessful, and he remained as taut as he had been since the chaos had begun its reign.

After over sixty seconds of silence, the crew began to speak.

"We've got the phaser frequency," Wildman announced. "It'll do the job perfectly!"

"I have established a lock on the transporter tags, and relayed the coordinates of the canister transportation to Lieutenant Ayala," Seven added.

Ayala drummed his fingers impatiently against the console. "The targeting sensors are aligned with Seven's plan. We're ready to do this."

"Good work. Now, let's see if it pays off…" Kim chewed errantly on his bottom lip, feeling the weight of enormous responsibility shifting uncomfortably on his shoulders. "Miss Brooks, slow to half impulse and display the aft section on the viewscreen. Seven, Ayala, initiate the strategy."

The viewscreen came to life with a different image, one that sent fear spiking through Kim: eight Kazon ships zooming ever closer to _Voyager_, their weapons arrays alight with power. Ayala notified him that they were in weapons range, and instantly angry scarlet explosions were blossoming over the aft shields in conjunction with staccato bursts of energy from their pursuers. Suddenly, amidst the myriad of needle-like disruptor blasts, there was a strange shimmering…and three metallic barrel-shaped canisters materialised. The lead Kazon ship struck all three, and they split in unison – unleashing an electric blue fuzz that splayed itself across the vessel's shielding.

Kim nearly drove himself upwards with the force of his voice as he yelled, "Fire!"

Ayala did just that, and in a split second, the Kazon shield was literally aflame. A miniature inferno danced sadistically across the shield, completely consuming the ship…until the shield sparked out, and a photon torpedo span into view. Kim watched with a muted glee as it reduced the vessel to a collection of debris.

"Ayala!" he snapped. "Tractor that wreckage and drive it into the next ship!"

Another towering wall of fire erupted from the Kazon ship as the rubble of its late companion pierced its side. For a moment, the resulting fireball obscured the remaining vessels…but then they burst through the orange canopy, and their weapons began to churn out energy bolts. Before Kim could call out any further orders, he found himself facedown on the deck, blood seeping from his mouth because of the force of the impact. Brooks' console erupted into a cascade of sparks that blasted her across the Bridge. From the tactical station, Ayala screamed, and Kim had no time to see why before Wildman was pitched over his head. He tried to stand, desperate to stage one final stand against the Kazon – but he was swallowed by darkness a moment later, claimed by unconsciousness.

_Voyager_, its hull blackened and its shields failing, was similarly helpless. The blue effervescence of its warp nacelles cut out, and it plummeted towards the surface of the planet.

And, behind it, a depleted but nonetheless powerful Kazon fleet followed, its guns raining down fire on the citizens of Ocampa.


End file.
